Clinical otolaryngology : official journal of ENT-UK ; official journal of Netherlands Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology & Cervico-Facial Surgery
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Pre-operative assessment in some ENT departments is now nurse-led rather than doctor-led. Appropriately trained nursing staff can perform medical aspects of pre-operative assessment to the same or a better standard than a doctor. Almost all patients are satisfied with a nurse-led pre-operative assessment, and in some cases they prefer it.
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The implementation of the National Institute of Clinical Excellence improving outcome guidelines (NICE-IOG) manual for head and neck cancer may have a huge potential cost implication. Head and neck cancer is a rare disease which utilises large quantities of resources which can only be provided in a tertiary centre. ⋯ A new higher tariff rate for complex head and neck cancer cases is needed which recognises the true cost of this work. Each network should set its own tariff to make head and neck cancer care financially viable.